The name “Schulschrift” in the FF Schulschrift typefaces is German for “school writing.” The family is based on three handwriting norms currently prescribed for German elementary schools by the German Ministry of Culture and Education.

Historically, the three norms developed over a rather long period of time, and are the product of several attempts to simplify German handwriting into a form that is less ornate, and easier to write. The German Cultural Ministry adopted these three norms as official standards in the early 1970s, in order to provide an easy basis for teaching penmanship to German schoolchildren.

FontFont collaborated closely with German educational experts and school textbook publishers to develop the FF Schulschrift fonts according to the prescribed standards. FF Schulschrift A, B and C correspond to the German norms known respectively as the “Vereinfachte Ausgangsschrift,” the “Lateinische Ausgangsschrift,” and the “Schulausgangsschrift.”

Although these fonts have their roots in Germany, FF Schulschrift has also become popular in other parts of the world, not only because of its fresh and childlike appearance, but also because of its charming variations with ledger-lines that evoke a grade-school “classroom” feeling.